Her mood didn't seem to be tied to drafting Georgetown's Greg Monroe seventh overall in the NBA draft.

"You're going to have a new owner pretty soon," Davidson enthusiastically told two reporters.

Despite a weak economy and the threat of a work stoppage after next season, Davidson said she was "absolutely" encouraged by the interest in buying the team and expects the deal to be done by the opening game in late October.

"It's a major franchise," she said.

The Pistons announced earlier this month that Citi Private Bank's Sports Finance and Advisory team was assisting in the potential sale of the team.

Davidson has said she's considering a sale of the franchise by itself or as part of a package with Palace Sports and Entertainment, which includes The Palace of Auburn Hills, DTE Energy Music Theatre and Meadow Brook Music Festival.

Her husband, Bill Davidson, died last year. The late owner known as "Mr. D" helped the Pistons win NBA titles in 1989, 1990 and 2004. Davidson said during an interview two years that a succession plan was in place to keep the team in the family and it would not be sold

"The Pistons won't be for sale," he told The Associated Press in 2008.

Forbes has valued the Pistons at $479 million.

Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars, who helped the franchise win its first two titles as a player and its last three as an executive, wants to and intends to be busy this offseason to fix a franchise that missed the playoffs last season for the first time since 2001.

The team will be about $10 million under the salary cap, including the midlevel exception, and Dumars expects to be able to spend every dollar available to try to make the team better despite a possible ownership change.